Pajo Bruich | Executive Chef
Chef Pajo Bruich offers a contemporary and stylistic culinary vision on the menu of Enotria Restaurant and Winebar. Bruich assumed the role of executive chef in September 2012, bringing in his philosophy on New American cuisine. “My food has an emphasis on local, seasonal ingredients, prepared with modern techniques one might not expect to find in this area,” says the Sacramento native, who is a founding member of the Sactown Dining Collective, which aims to develop a national spotlight on Sacramento’s dining scene. “People don’t always think of Sacramento as having a forward-thinking culinary scene, so my goal is to contribute to elevating the city’s status in this arena. I am committed to this community and its future culinary growth.”
Bruich’s dedication to Sacramento’s food scene began taking hold in 2008, when the former caterer was hosting progressive pop-up dinners at various restaurants throughout the city, to which food lovers and local media alike praised his effective and delicious uses of avant-garde gastronomy. Then, in February 2011, the peripatetic chef put down roots by joining Lounge ON20 Restaurant as executive chef and business partner. Within months, the restaurant was heralded by the press as one of Sacramento’s best, as well as earning Gayot.com’s number-six spot for best restaurants in the nation for molecular gastronomy, ranking just behind the French Laundry. In 2012, Bruich left Lounge ON20 and used the months that followed to cook for the notable Auction Napa Valley alongside some of the nation’s best chefs, as well as stage at two-Michelin-star Benu Restaurant in San Francisco, before taking the helm at Enotria.
These days, Bruich has clear culinary aspirations for himself and his city, but gastronomy was not always his chosen artistic route. Although he identified his love for food at his family’s kitchen table, he grew up to pursue fine arts and industrial design at Arizona State University in Tempe. After graduating, he managed his mother’s Sacramento restaurant supply company for six years before launching his professional cooking career. “I always had some form of artistic expression in my life, and food was always a passion,” the self-taught chef says. “When I discovered that cooking was my perfect medium, it changed my goals, and I have not looked back since.”
Bruich lives in the Sacramento suburb of Lincoln with his wife, Angie, and their two daughters, Paris, 3, and Portia, 1. When not in the kitchen, he enjoys spending time with his girls and dining out at his peers’ restaurants to “let someone else do the cooking and look for inspiration.”
Jenny Yun | General Manager
A Korean American and Bay Area native, Jenny Yun is no stranger to taking chances, following hunches and pursuing her dreams. Once an English Literature major, Yun moved to New York City in 2000 to focus on a career in fashion. It was there that she found her true passion in the service industry.
Over the course of her 12 years in NYC, Yun worked for some of the city’s most notable restaurants, the most prominent being Thomas Keller’s 3 Michelin-starred Per Se Restaurant. “It was the best four years of my life. A place that will continue to hold me to higher standards because of the reverence I have for those who I’ve had the fortune to work with and meet, and those who will continue to support me,” said Yun. Most recently she was the Assistant Restaurant Director at the 3 Michelin-starred Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena.
Fueled by influences along the way from no names to big names, Yun is looking to make a name for herself that will resonate within the industry. “I want to give back, even if it’s just a little bit. I want to impact professionals in our industry and guests alike.”
Teamed with Bruich she has high hopes, expectations, and sees endless possibilities. Their meeting seems almost fated as they share common visions and a mentality and drive that is unstoppable. “There is such potential for the food and wine movement in Sacramento and Chef and I want to be at the forefront. We’re on the same page about what Enotria needs to continue to succeed and we have some lofty ambitions – all that we feel are attainable together.”
Raised as an only child to a father with a strict army mentality and a traditional mother, Yun’s philosophy is based on hard work, respect, extremely high expectations and a work ethic too big for a small woman. “I look forward to pushing Chef and to be pushed by Chef to work towards a common goal – to make a home for guests where they are positively impacted by their experience with us and to form ongoing relationships.”
When not working the demanding hours of the industry, Yun enjoys dining out with friends “to gain inspiration from what others are doing within the industry and to be inspired by those I love.”
Edward Martinez | Executive Pastry Chef
Edward Martinez joined Enotria in September of 2012 as Executive Pastry Chef. Coming from a background rich in pastry experience, the 27 year old has risen rapidly among the region’s top pastry chefs. At Enotria, Martinez brings technique and innovation to his desserts and pastries, pushing the boundaries of creativity and continually developing new textures and flavors with unexpected ingredients.
A Northern California native, Martinez has held pastry chef positions in some of the most prominent dessert programs in the area, including the Michelin starred Bistro Jeanty in Yountville, the bakery for celebrities, Perfect Endings, and most recently Hawks Restaurant in Sacramento.
His journey of becoming one of the area’s most acclaimed pastry chefs is anything but typical. As a young man, Martinez found himself running around with the Bulldogs, one of Fresno’s most notorious gangs. In 2005, facing three felony charges for assault and battery, Martinez promised a judge to enroll in a pastry-making program, leading to a reduced sentence and an unexpected dream realized. Martinez found his true passion while in culinary school, pursuing the baking and dessert program at the Institute of Technology in Clovis, CA, where he graduated on the Dean’s list in 2006. His work in the art of pastry making has garnered praise from the media, including The Sacramento Bee’s Food Editor Chris Macias, who called him a “dedicated culinary artist.”
When Martinez is not hard at work in the kitchen, he is spending time with his wife and four children at their home in Antelope, CA. He also enjoys studying pastry books and is a member of the Sactown Dining Collective.
